Editorial Board

Scott Morrison

Director of Marketing, Deep Blue Communications

Scott Morrison is Director of Marketing for Deep Blue Communications, LLC, an international provider of converged Wi-Fi networks for hospitality, retail, and large entertainment venues.

Mr. Morrison works closely with the CEO and COO for Deep Blue to create, define and implement corporate marketing strategy for the hospitality, retail, and large entertainment venue verticals.
Before his directorship, he held the position of Marketing Manager, responsible for the tactical execution of the corporate marketing plan; design and execution of all marketing collateral both online and for print; trade show exhibits, management, and execution; website design; all aspects of social media. In addition, generated sales leads utilizing Hubspot inbound marketing and sales software; conducted new product demonstrations and training.

Prior to these positions, Mr. Morrison was a freelance designer for Deep Blue Communications while attaining his degree in computer science.
With thirty years experience in the print and design industry, Mr. Morrison has expertise in everything from concept to creation to production.

Human Resources: Value Creation

Businesses must evolve to stay competitive and this is also true of employment positions within those organizations. In the hotel industry, for example, the role that HR professionals perform continues to broaden and expand. Today, they are generally responsible for five key areas - government compliance; payroll and benefits; employee acquisition and retention; training and development; and organizational structure and culture. In this enlarged capacity, HR professionals are no longer seen as part of an administrative cost center, but rather as a member of the leadership team that creates strategic value within their organization. HR professionals help to define company policies and plans; enact and enforce systems of accountability; and utilize definable metrics to measure and justify outcomes. Of course, there are always new issues for HR professionals to address. Though seemingly safe for the moment, will the Affordable Care Act ultimately be repealed and replaced and, if so, what will the ramifications be? There are issues pertaining to Millennials in the workforce and women in leadership roles, as well as determining the appropriate use of social media within the organization. There are new onboarding processes and e-learning training platforms to evaluate, in addition to keeping abreast of political issues like the minimum wage hike movement, or the re-evaluation of overtime rules. Finally, there are genuine immigration and deportation issues that affect HR professionals, especially if they are located in Dreamer Cities, or employ a workforce that could be adversely impacted by federal government policies. The March Hotel Business Review will take a look at some of the issues, strategies and techniques that HR professionals are employing to create and sustain value in their organization.